Dec. 15, 2013

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Winston rewind: A look back at the freshman’s jour...: Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was named the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Saturday night. Here is a look back at the redshirt freshman’s journey to college football’s most prestigious award.

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Yours truly is lucky enough to be one of the hundreds of media members from across the country that gets to vote for the Heisman Trophy. And I take the duty seriously.

So here’s how I went about filling out my ballot last week: I decided to actually vote for the best college football player in the United States. Novel concept, right?

And Jameis Winston was the clear choice. The overwhelming choice. The only choice.

Much has been made in recent weeks about what kind of role “integrity” and “character” should play in choosing the winner. Because, after all, it says right there in the description of the award that the Heisman Trophy recognizes the “outstanding college player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”

That’s a wonderful goal in theory, right? A noble mission, no doubt.

But let’s be real, people.

How in the world am I supposed to know who has integrity and who doesn’t? I know Jameis Winston wasn’t charged with a crime. If he had been, then yeah, my vote would have gone to someone else. But he wasn’t. So it didn’t. That just seems logical. And fair.

Last year was my first one as a Heisman Trophy voter. And it wasn’t an easy decision. You had the cocky, brash, terrific freshman quarterback at Texas A&M. And you had the soft-spoken, grieving, terrific linebacker at Notre Dame. Those were the top two choices on most ballots.

I voted for Manti Te’o. I chose him because I thought he was the best player on arguably the best defense in the country. And I’ve always thought it was unfair that defensive players are basically forbidden from winning the award.

But there was another factor as well. Te’o had a touching personal narrative. Not only did his grandmother pass away in 2012, but his girlfriend did as well. Yet even with all of that tragedy he still managed to play at a superstar level. It was incredibly impressive. And if I’m honest with myself, I can admit his back story almost certainly played a role in my vote.

Little did I know his girlfriend, like the one I told my friends about in ninth grade, never existed. Let me be clear, though: I didn’t kill off my fake girlfriend like Te’o did, I just said she lived in Niagra Falls. That’s a big difference.

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But that whole bizarre episode was just more proof of how foolish it is to assume you know any of these athletes.

I have no idea what kind of person Jordan Lynch truly is. Or A.J. McCarron for that matter. I haven’t the first clue what kind of integrity they possess.

But I do know neither one of them would start at Florida State. Because Florida State has the best player in the country under center.

And that’s what my vote came down to. That’s what it had to come down to. Who was the most outstanding player in the United States in 2013? The answer was pretty simple.

Winston has led the Seminoles to a 13-0 record and a No. 1 ranking. He has thrown for 3,820 yards, 38 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He’s responsible for 42 total touchdowns this season. But as impressive as those numbers are, they still don’t fully explain the year he’s had.

Here’s what makes Winston stand out in my mind: He’s doing it in this offense.

This is not a Texas A&M, Baylor, Oregon type attack. Jimbo Fisher doesn’t want the ball snapped every 12 seconds. And Winston isn’t throwing it 50 times a game, either. This is a balanced attack.

Yet the Seminoles are on pace to be the highest-scoring team in the history of college football. They’ve scored at least 37 points in every game this season. That’s never been done before. They’ve won every game by at least 14 points. That’s only been done one other time in FBS history. They are on pace to have three 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher. That’s only been done one other time as well.

All of it is astounding. And much of it has to do with the sheer brilliance of the guy taking snaps. That’s how special this guy is.

Yes. His teammates are very good. His receivers are a year older and a year better. We get that. But we all watched this offense pre-Winston and even with two first-round quarterbacks (Christian Ponder and EJ Manuel) it never looked like this. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever.

Jameis Winston is an incredible player. A once-in-a-generation type talent. And I truly believe he could end up being the best quarterback in college football history. He was certainly the best player in 2013. And that’s why I voted for him.